CAPTAIN  NATHANIEL  PRYOR 


CONTRIBUTED   BY 

WALTER  B.  DOUGLAS 


REPRINTED   FROM   THE 


VOL.  XXIV.,  NO.  2  JANUARY,  iQig 


[Reprinted  Irom  The  American  Historicai,  Review,  Vol.  XXIV,  No.  2,  Jan.,  1919] 


DOCUMENTS 

Captain  Nathaniel  Pry  or 

The  history  of  the  expedition  of  Captains  Lewis  and  Clark  to 
the  Pacific  coast  of  Oregon  in  1804-1806  is  the  object  of  an  interest 
which,  in  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi,. has  greatly  increased 
in  recent  years. 

One  reason  for  this  growing  interest  is  that  the  people  of  the 
states  which  now  occupy  the  land  which  Lewis  and  Clark  traversed 
with  so  much  difficulty  and  danger  now  look  upon  them  as  the  be- 
ginners of  the  state  history. 

And  the  monumental  work  of  Dr.  Thwaites  in  making  accessible 
the  "  Original  Journals  "  of  the  chiefs  and  such  of  the  subordinates 
as  could  be  found  unprinted  has  furnished  a  source-book  which  can 
be  used  with  unquestioning  trust. 

The  fame  of  the  captains  has  been  long  established;  of  late 
years  the  figures  of  their  men  have  begun  to  emerge  from  the  mists 
of  the  years  and  to  take  shape  as  the  heroes  that  they  were.  Some 
of  them  have  never  been  entirely  lost  sight  of ;  others  seem  to  have 
completely  disappeared  from  public  view  on  that  September  day 
when  they  disembarked  upon  the  levee  at  Saint  Louis  at  the  end  of 
their  famous  journey.  The  people  of  the  East  were  little  concerned, 
and  the  people  of  the  West  were  too  much  occupied  in  subduing  the 
wilderness  about  them  to  realize  what  these  men  had  done.  Now, 
however,  many  students  are  engaged  in  searching  for  information 
about  them,  and  the  publication  from  time  to  time  of  facts  discov- 
ered is  gratefully  welcomed.  It  is  hoped  that  the  story  of  each 
man's  life  will,  in  time,  be  clearly  set  forth.  In  the  absence  of 
knowledge  they  will  like  the  adventurers  of  former  days  become 
the  subjects  of  myths,  or  be  "  enthroned  amid  the  echoing  minstrelsy 
sung  of  old  times  ". 

Indeed,  the  myth-making  process  has  already  begun.  Nathaniel 
Pryor,  a  Virginia-Kentuckian  and  a  typical  American  pioneer,  is  in 
the  way  to  be  transformed  into  a  personality  in  every  way  foreign 
to  the  man  that  he  was.  It  appears  from  Bancroft's  History  of 
California  (vol.  III.,  p.  163),  that  among  the  company  that  arrived 
in  California,  under  the  leadership  of  the  Patties,  in  March,  1828, 
was  a  man  whose  name  is  given  as  Nathaniel  Pryor  or  Nathaniel 
Miguel  Pryor.    It  is  said  of  him  that  he  was  then  twenty-three  years 

( 253 ) 


2  54  Documents 

old,  and  that  he  had  lived  for  four  years  in  New  Mexico.  This  man 
was  a  silversmith  and  clock-maker,  and  became  known  as  Miguel  el 
Platero.  He  married  a  Mexican  woman,  raised  a  family,  and  died 
in  1850. 

Pattie,  in  his  Personal  Narrative,  makes  no  mention  of  Pryor, 
but  in  the  edition  of  the  book  edited  by  Dr.  Thwaites  and  included 
in  his  series  of  Early  Western  Travels,  there  is  an  editorial  note  in 
which  it  is  assumed  that  the  Pryor  mentioned  by  Bancroft  was  the 
companion  of  Lewis  and  Clark. 

The  rule  of  law  that  identity  of  name  indicates  identity  of  per- 
son is  well  enough  as  cautiously  applied  by  courts,  subject  to  dis- 
proof by  an  adversary  party,  but  it  is  by  no  means  a  safe  rule  for  an 
historian. 

Dr.  Thwaites's  assumption,  in  spite  of  its  intrinsic  improbability, 
has  been  followed  by  others  and  bids  fair,  unless  its  erroneous  char- 
acter is  made  to  appear,  to  be  generally  accepted.  Happily,  how- 
ever, for  the  cause  of  truth,  the  incorrectness  of  the  assumption  is 
demonstrable. 

Miss  Stella  M.  Drumm,  the  librarian  of  the  Missouri  Historical 
Society,  whose  knowledge  of  western  history  is  extensive  and  ac- 
curate, has  found  in  the  Indian  Office  at  Washington  a  series  of 
documents  which  tell  the  story  of  Pryor's  later  life  in  unmistakable 
fashion.    Certain  of  these  documents  are  herewith  submitted. 

Walter  B.  Douglas. 

I.   License  to  Trade  with  the  Osage  Nation.^ 

To  all,  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come,  know  ye  that  I  have  this 
day  Granted  permission  to  Nathaniel  Pryor,  to  trade  with  the  Osage 
Nation  of  Indians,  as  well  as  to  ascend  the  river  Arkansas  with  one 
trading  boat  to  the  six  bull  or  Verdigree  together  with  all  the  hands 
that  may  appertain  thereto. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  private  seal  (there 
being  no  public  one)   at  the  Post  of  Arkansas 
this^29th  day  of  November  1819 — Of  the 
independence  the  forty  fourth, 
(signed)  Robt.  Crittenden 

Sect,  and  a.  G.  A.  T.^ 

1  Nos.  I.,  II.,  III.,  IV.,  and  VI.  are  enclosures  in  a  letter  of  Agent  Vashon 
to  Lewis  Cass,  secretary  of  war,  April  30,  1832,  a  letter  written  "  for  the  purpose 
of  exhibiting  the  true  character  of  the  question  respectfully  referred  for  the 
consideration  and  decision  of  the  Department ".  In  the  files  of  the  Indian 
Office  all  these  are  contained  in  a  folder  marked  "  1832  Cherokee  West  Agency 
— Geo.  Vashon — Claim  of  N.  Pryor  ". 

2  Meaning,  "  secretary  and  acting  governor  of  Arkansas  Territory  ".  Robert 
Crittenden  of  Kentucky  was  secretary  of  the  territory  from   1819  to   1829. 


Captain  Nathaniel  Pry  or  255 

A  true  copy  from  the  original  on  file  in  this  office 

Geo.  Vashon^ 
Agt.  Chers.  west. 
West'n  Cherokee  Nation 

Agents  Office  April  30th,  1832 

II.   Affidavit  of  Prygr. 
U.  S.  of  America 

Arkansas  Territory, 
Crawford  County 

This  day  personally  appeared  before  me,  John  Nicks,  one  of  the 
Justices  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  said  County,  Nathaniel  Pryor  of  the 
Osage  Nation  of  Indians,  who  being  of  lawful  age  and  duly  sworn 
according  to  law,  deposed  and  said  that  some  time  in  the  month  of 
February  1820,  on  the  Virdigris  River,  a  branch  of  the  Arkansas  or 
Paune  River,  at  said  Pryor's  trading  house,^*  about  one  and  a  half  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  said  Virdigris,  this  deponent  had  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  weight  of  Beaver  fur,  and  about  said  time  a  Cherokee  Indian 
by  the  name  of  Dutch  and  two  others,  companions  of  his,  took  from  the 
possession  of  this  deponent  the  said  one  hundred  and  fifty  weight  of 
Beaver  fur  the  property  of  this  deponent  and  which  said  Beaver  fur 
has  never  been  restored  to  him  or  any  part  thereof,  nor  the  value  or  any 
part  thereof. 

This  deponent  further  stated  that  about  the  month  of  February,  1822, 
the  Cherokee  Indians  stole  from  his  possession  a  large  bright  bay  horse, 
with  a  star  in  his  forehead,  and  about  fifteen  hands  high  and  which  said 
horse  he  has  never  been  able  to  recover  or  reclaim  nor  the  value  thereof, 
or  any  part  thereof,  and  further  this  deponent  said  not. 

Sworn  and  subscribed  to  before  me  this  nth 

day  of  September  1824  Nathl.  Pryor 

Jno.  Nicks 
J.  Peace 
I  certify  the  above  to  be  a  true  copy  from  file  in  this  office. 

Geo.  Vashon, 
Agt.  Chers.  West. 
West'n  Cherokee  Nation, 
Agents  Office  April  30th,  1832 

III.    Affidavit  of  David  McKee. 

United  States  of  America 

Arkansas  Territory 
Crawford  County 

This  day  personally  appeared  before  me  John  Nicks  one  of  the 
Justices  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  said  County,  David  McKee  of  said 

3  Capt.  George  Vashon,  formerly  of  the  Seventh  Infantry,  agent  to  the  Chero- 
kees  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

^  Pryor  is  mentioned  as  living  among  the  Osages,  on  the  Verdigris  in  i82i,by 
James,  Three  Years  among  the  Indians  and  Mexicans  (St.  Louis,  1916),  p.  108, 
and  the  Missionary  Herald,  XIX.  74.  In  that  year  he  accompanied  Glenn  and 
Fowler  in  their  expedition  to  the  mountains ;  Coues,  Journal  of  Jacob  Fowler, 
p.  4,   etc.     See  also  note  22,  below. 


256  Documents 

County  who  being  of  lawful  age  and  duly  sworn  according  to  law 
deposith  and  saith  that  in  the  month  of  February  1820  a  Cherokee 
Indian  by  the  name  of  Dutch,  with  two  other  Cherokee  Indians  came 
to  Nath.  Pryor's  trading  house  on  the  Virdigris  River,  a  branch  of  the 
Arkansas  River,  and  at  that  time  the  said  Nathaniel  Pryor  had  in  de- 
posit at  said  place  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  weight  of  furs,  well 
secured  under  lock,  and  that  on  the  evening  of  the  morning  on  which 
said  Indians  left  the  trading  house,  he,  the  said  deponent  discovered  that 
the  lock  which  secured  the  fur,  had  been  forced,  and  the  sa[i]d  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  weight  of  fur  were  stolen,  and  as  this  deponent  verily 
believes  by  the  said  Cherokee  Indians. 

The  deponent  further  states  that  fur  was  selling  at  that  time  at 
two  dollars  and  a  half  per  pound  and  further  this  deponent  saith  not. 

David  X  McKee 
Sworn  and  subscribed  to  before  me  this 
nth  day  of  September  1824 

Jno  Nicks 
Justice  Peace 

I  certify  the  above  to  be  a  true  copy  from  file  in  this  office. 

Geo,  Vashon 
Agt.  Chers.  West 
West'n  Cherokee  Nation 
Agents  Office  April  30th,  1832 

IV.    Statement  of  E.  W.  duVal.* 

The  taking  of  the  property  is  not  denied  by  the  Individual  charged 
with  it,  but  he  alleges  as  the  cause  and  justification  of  the  act,  or  acts, 
that  he  met  at  Mr.  Priors  Trading  house,  at  the  time  mentioned,  a  War 
party  of  Osages,  under  the  Chief  called  Mad  Buffaloe,  that  at  that  time 
the  Osage  and  Cherokee  Nations  were  at  open  War  with  each  other, 
that  he  the  Dutch  (the  Individual  referred  to)  commanded  and  then 
had  with  him  a  War  party  of  Cherokees,  that  his  party  was  more 
numerous  than  that  of  the  Mad  Buffaloe  and  that  the  latter  were  com- 
pletely in  his  power,  that  he  considered  them  as  his  prisoners  and  was 
waiting  only  until  they  should  leave  the  premises  of  Mr.  Prior  to 
capture  and  secure  them.  That  during  this  time  he  was  invited  out  on 
one  side  of  Mr.  Priors  House  as  he  believes  at  the  instance  of  Mr. 
Prior  by  a  man  named  McKee  or  McGee,  where  he  and  his  party  were 
detained  by  amusements  until  the  Mad  Buffaloe  and  his  party  had  time 
to  escape;  that  he  believed  d:nd  still  believes,  their  escape  was  con- 
trived by  Mr.  Prior;  that  on  discovering  they  (the  Osages)  were  gone 
he  immediately  pursued  but  could  not  overtake  them ;  that  for  this  inter- 
ference, as  he  considered  it,  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Prior,  whereby  he  was 
prevented  making  prisoners  of  the  party  and  in  so  far  weakening  or 
injuring  the  enemy  and  rendering  essential  service  to  his  own  nation, 
he  took  the  property  for  which  Mr.  Prior  claims  payment. 

Mr.  Prior  having  admitted  to  the  agent  the  material  facts  set  forth 
by  the  Dutch  as  to  the  aid  and  assistance  he  gave  to  the  Osages  to 

4  Not  dated,  but  presumably  of  the  same  date  as  the  two  affidavits  preceding. 
Major  duVal  (so  he  was  wont  to  sign  his  name)  was  for  some  years,  from  1822, 
agent  to  the  western  Cherokees. 


Captain  Nathaniel  Pry  or  257 

make  their  escape,  The  Committee  desire  that  the  case  maybe  su[b]mitted 
to  the  consideration  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  for  his  decision.  They 
would  refer  it  to  him  on  these  grounds.  That  the  Osages  and  Chero- 
kees  were  relatively  to  each  other  independent  Nations  with  whom  the 
y.  S.  were  on  terms  of  amity  and  friendship.  That  Mr.  Prior,  a  citizen 
of  U.  States  intermarried  with  an  Osage  Woman,  carrying  on  trade  and 
intercourse  with  that  nation  and  was  as  it  would  seem  to  the  committee 
bound  to  have  preserved  a  perfect  neutrality  between  the  belligerent 
parties;  and  that  by  having  aided  the  Osages  in  the  manner  set  forth 
by  the  Dutch  and  admitted  by  himself  he  ceased  to  maintain  the  char- 
acter of  a  neutral  and  thereby  subjected  his  property  to  seizure  by  the 
party  injured. 

I  certify  that  Mr.  Prior  admitted  to  me  that  he  did  interfere  in  the 
manner  stated  to  secure  the  escape  of  the  Osages  from  the  Cherokees. 

Signed  E.  W.  duval 

A  true  copy  from  the  original  on  file  in  this  office 

Geo.  Vashon 
Agt.  Chers.  West 
West'n  Cherokee  Nation 
Agents  Office  April  30th,  1832 

V.    Franklin  Wharton  to  Secretary  James  Barbour." 

Crawford  Court  House,  A.  Terr. 
Secy,  of  War:  Feby.  28th,  1826 

Sir; 

Capt.  N.  Pryor  of  this  Territory  has  requested  me  to  use  means 
towards  obtaining  a  liquidation  of  a  just  claim,  which  he  supj>oses  he 
has  against  the  U.  S.  Will  you  allow  me  to  represent  its  nature  and 
solicit  your  answer  to  certain  inquiries. 

Capt.  Pryor  was  the  first  person  who  volunteered  his  services  in  Lewis 
and  Clark's  expedition.  He  accompanied  them  through  all  their  excur- 
sions and  was  finally  sent  in  command  of  the  party,  to  take  back  the 
Mandan  chief  and  family  to  their  homes.  Of  the  event  of  this,  you 
are  aware.  From  that  time  to  the  period,  when  he  derives  his  claim,  he 
was  engaged  in  extensive  and  dangerous  business  among  the  Indian 
Tribes. 

About  eighteen  months  before  the  late  war,  he  was  licensed  by  the 
Gov.  of  Missouri,  as  a  trader  among  the  Weenibagoes  or  Puans,  on  the 
Eastern  Mississippi,  Ter.  of  Missouri,  at  a  place  called  DeBuque's 
Mines.®  At  that  place  he  was  transacting  a  profitable  business,  had 
buildings  erected  as  well  as  a  smelting  furnace,  and  was  rapidly  dis- 
tributing through  the  Tribes  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  civiliza- 
tion. About  six  months  before  the  War,  he  received  a  letter  from 
Gov.  Clarke,  requesting  him  to  endeavour  to  find  out  Tecumseh  or  the 
Prophet.     The  execution  of  this  duty,  a  duty  performed  at  the  wish  of 

5  In  a  folder  marked  "  1826,  Arkansas — Franklin  Wharton — Claim  of  N. 
Pryor  for  Depredations".  Franklin  Wharton  (1804-1847)  was  a  son  of  Lieut.- 
Col.  Franklin  Wharton  (1767-1818),  U.  S.  M.  C,  and  a  younger  brother  of  Col. 
Clifton  Wharton,  U.  S.  A.  Dardanelle,  which  he  gives  as  his  address,  is  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Arkansas,  about  half-way  up  from  Little  Rock  to  Fort  Smith. 

6  Now  Dubuque,  Iowa. 


258  Documents 

the  Government — a  duty  delicate  and  hazardous  in  the  extreme,  ren- 
dered Capt.  P.  an  object  of  hostility  and  enmity  with  the  natives, 
From  receiving  the  letter  of  the  Gov.  the  Captain  had  heard  nothing  of 
a  war  likely  to  ensue.  He  was  actively  and  industriously  engaged  in 
his  occupation.  On  Christmas  day  and  even  after  of  the  year  '12  the 
Winbagoes  were  trading  peaceably  with  him.  On  the  ist  of  Jany.  13 
about  12  O'clock  in  the  day,  eight  of  the  tribe  came  to  his  house,  with 
their  war  accoutrements,  and  offered  violence.  They  would  not  let  him 
leave  his  dwelling.  About  sun-down  of  same  day,  sixty  arrived,  shoot- 
ing down  the  oxen  in  the  yard  and  killing  two  of  his  men.  They  rushed 
on  him,  and  was  in  the  act  of  putting  him  to  death,  when  by  the  politic 
dissimulation  of  a  female  in  the  house,  they  were  averted  for  the  mo- 
ment from  their  intention.  They  then  placed  him  in  the  house  with  a 
sentinel  over  him,  intending  to  burn  him  in  it.  While  they  were 
plundering  his  stores  and  ravaging  his  premises,  with  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty, he  made  his  escape.  After  crossing  the  Mississippi  on  the  cakes 
of  ice,  he  was  still  the  object  of  pursuit  to  the  hostile  Indians.  They 
were  not  so  soon  to  forget  his  endeavorous  for  Tecumseh.  They  robbed 
him  of  all  they  [he]  had  in  the  world :  they  entirely  destroyed  every  article 
of  his  property.  Capt.  P.  only  claims  the  original  amount  of  his  goods, 
amounting  to  5,216$  25  cents.  He  asks  not  the  freight  on  them:  he  asks 
not  what  they  were  actually  worth  to  him — he  asks  nothing  for  his 
buildings,  his  furnaces,  his  cattle,  save  two,  which  were  shot  down  before 
his  face.  He,  in  fact,  asks  for  less  than  what  he  conceives  to  be  his 
just  claim.  And  his  reason  is;  for  that  which  he  seeks  a  remuneration 
he  can  positively  swear  to  the  amount.  He  will  not  add  more,  as  he 
cannot  remember  certainly  the  value. 

Capt.  Pryor  is  a  man  of  real,  solid,  innate  worth.  His  genuine 
modesty  conceals  the  peculiar  traits  of  his  character.  He  was  a  brave 
and  persevering  officer  in  the  attack  on  New  Orleans.  He  has  the  most 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  Western  country;  has  been  on  considerable 
service  to  the  U.  S.,  and  the  benefit  he  has  conferred  on  the  Indian 
Tribes  is  gratefully  acknowledged  by  them.  He  has  been  frequently 
urged  by  Gov.  Clarke  the  Supt.  of  Ind.  Aff.  and  by  Gen.  Miller,  the 
late  Gov.  of  this  Territory'^  to  forward  this  claim.  But  he  has  refused. 
His  own  exertions  have  hitherto  been  his  support.  Again  robbed  and 
plundered  by  the  savages,  viz  Cherokees  he  is  left  in  a  situation,  where 
the  money  would  be  of  service  to  him.  His  want  drives  him  to  that, 
which  hitherto  his  conscious  pride  prevented.  You  will  observe,  that 
it  was  six'  months  after  the  declaration  of  war,  this  transaction  oc- 
curred. Yet  had  the  traders^>no  knowledge  of  it.  The  British  Indian 
allies,  received  it  first  through  their  emissaries.  It  was  not  known  at 
St.  Louis  'til  months  after  it  took  place.  And  does  not  Capt.  P's  claim 
derive  additional  support,  from  the  fact  that  Gov.  Clark  was  bound  to 
give  notice  of  the  war,  and  at  the  time,  such  notice  had  not  been  given. 
The  Capt.  was  trading  under  the  license  and  protection  of  the  U.  S. ; 
by  an  act  of  the  U.  S.  of  which  he  was  ignorant,  he  was  deprived  of  his 
property  and  his  home.  You  will  also  please  to  remember  that,  the 
tribe  was  allied  with  the  English  troops.     I  am  not  aware,  Sir,  that  this 

7  James  Miller  (1776-1851),  the  hero  of  Lundy's  Lane,  governor  of  Arkansas 
Territory  1819-1825,  collector  of  the  port  of  Salem  (under  whom  Hawthorne 
served)   1825-1849. 


Captain  Nathaniel  Pry  or  259 

claim  falls  under  your  cognizance,  of  this  much,  I  am  certain,  that,  if 
you  cannot  officially  interest  yourself  in  it,  its  details  will  ensure  your 
warm  and  generous  support.  The  eloquent  advocate  of  the  abstract 
rights  of  man,  will  not  lend  a  cold  and  feeble  support,  to  what  has  con- 
nection, with  the  more  kind  and  gentle  feelings  of  humanity.  If  not 
inconsistent  with  your  duty,  would  you  be  pleased  to  answer  these 
enquiries. 

Does  this  demand  come  within  the  scope  of  those,  which  have  hither- 
to been  termed  just  and  equitable  by  the  U.  S.  ?  If  it  bear  no  analogy 
to  former  claims  allowed,  is  it  your  opinion,  that  it  is  a  fair  one  against 
the  U.  S.  ?  What  measures  are  necessary  to  place  it  before  the  proper 
authority,  and  what  is  that  authority? 

During  the  spring  Gen.  Clark  has  promised  to  have  the  necessary 
depositions  taken.  .  .  . 

A  letter  will  reach  me,  directed  to  "  Dardanelle  ",  Crawford  Co.  A. 
T.     I  have  the  honour  to  be 

Yr.  obt.  Servt. 
To  James  Barbour  Esq'r  Franklin  Wharton 

Sec.  of  War 

City  of  Washington, 
D.  C. 

VI.   Pryor  to  Major  duVal. 

Fort  Smith,  Augt.  21,  1826. 
Maj'r  Duval 
Sir. 

Please  pay  Saml.  Rutherford^  Two  hundred  dollars  out  of  the  Claim 
that  you  have  of  mine  against  the  Cherokees  and  this  shall  be  your 
receipt,  etc. 

I  am  with  great  Respect,  yours,  etc. 

(signed)     Nathl.  Pryor. 
The  Original  endorsed  viz. 

Order  of  N.  Prior  in  favor  of  Sam'l  Rutherford  $200.00  Left  with 
me  by  Mr.  Rutherford  until  a  claim  of  Mr.  Priors  shall  Have  been 
decided  on  by  the  W.  Department:  if  the  claim  be  admitted  Mr.  R. 
wishes  me  to  retain  the  amt.  of  this  order  out  of  it  for  him. 

E.  W.  D. 

Nov:  20,  1826 
A  true  copy  from  the  original  on  file  in  this  office  .,  JLibrOnp 

Geo.  Vasiion 
Agt.  Cher's  West. 
West'n  Cherokee  Nation 

Agents  Office  April  30th,  1832 

8  Samuel  M.  Rutherford  was  for  many  years  clerk  for  Pryor  and  Richards  at 
Arkansas  Post,  and  while  in  their  employ  in  1819  was  appointed  sheriff  for  Clark 
County,  Arkansas.  From  1823  to  1825  he  was  county  clerk  of  Phillips  County; 
from  1825  to  1830,  sheriff  of  Pulaski  County.  In  1832,  when  the  U.  S.  Land  Office 
was  opened  in  Hempstead  County,  he  was  appointed  register.  He  also  served  as 
territorial  treasurer  from  1833  to  1836.  Hempstead,  Pictorial  History  of  Arkansas 
(St.  Louis,  1890)  ;  and  Shinn,  Pioneers  and  Makers  of  Arkansas  (Little  Rock, 
1908). 


26o  Documents 

VII.    Maj.  William  McClellan  to  Gen.  William  Clark.» 

Little  Rock,  (A.  T.)  May  28,  1827 
General  William  Clark 

Siiperintendant  of  Indian  Affairs 

Sir 
I  am  happy  to  hear  from  Capt.  Pryor  that  he  is  willing  to  serve,  if 
appointed  Sub-Agent  to  the  Osage  Indians;  no  man  can  render  the 
same  services  to  the  United  States  than  Capt.  Pryor  can  with  those 
Indians.  He  can  speak  their  language,  and  they  have  every  confidence 
in  his  counsul  and  advice.  .  .  . 

Respectfully 

Your  Obdt.  Servant 

Wm.  McClellan 

C.  A.  W.  M.io 

VIII.    Lieut.  J.  F.  Hamtramck^^  to  Clark. 

St.  Louis,  June  18,  1827 
Sir: 

.  .  .  Capt.  Pryor  possesses  every  necessary  qualification  and  would 
accept  the  office.     I  therefore  have  the  honor  respectfully  to  suggest  the 
propriety  of  such  a  measure  and  ask  your  attention  to  it. 
very  respectfully 

your  oht.  Servt 

J.  F.  Hamtramck, 
To  Gen'l  Wm.  Clark  U.  S.  Ind'n  Agt.  for  Osages. 

Supt.  of  Ind'n  Affairs 

IX.    Clark  to  Barbour. 

SUPERINTENDENCY   OF   Ind'n    AfFAIRS. 

St.  Louis,  Aug.  4th,  1827 
Sir. 

Since  the  death  of  the  Sub  Agent  of  the  Arkansas  Band  of  Osages, 
no  appointment  has  been  made  to  fill  the  vacancy.  As  the  situation  of 
that  Band  requires  a  Sub  Agent  of  respectability  and  influence,  I  have 
employed  Capt'n  Nathaniel  Pryor,  at  the  rate  of  $500  pr  ann.  and  given 

9  Nos.  VII.,  VIII.,  and  IX.  are  in  a  folder  marked  "  1827,  Osages  (sub- 
agency) — Wm.  Clark — Appointment  of  N.  Pryor  sub-agent  ".  Governor  George 
Izard  of  Arkansas  Territory  writes  to  the  Secretary  of  War  on  June  6,  1827, 
from  Little  Rock:  "On  my  way^  f  rem  New  Orleans  I  became  acquainted  with 
Capt.  Nath.  Prior,  a  very  intelligent  man,  who  accompanied  Mess.  Lewis  and 
Clark  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  has  since  that  time  been  much  among  the  Indians, 
particularly  the  Osages.  I  learned  from  him  that  he  was  directed  by  Gen.  Clark 
the  Superintendent  at  St.  Louis  to  speak  to  me  relative  to  the  advantage  of  hav- 
ing a  sub-agent  appointed  to  reside  with  the  band  of  Osages  who  are  designated 
as  Clermo's,  and  to  ask  my  co-operation  in  recommending  the  measure  to  the 
Government.  ...  I  am.  induced  by  these  motives  to  join  Gen.  Clark  in  proposing 
the  appointment  of  Capt.  Prior  to  the  sub-agency  in  question."  Publications  of 
the  Arkansas  Historical  Association,  I.  445. 

10  Choctaw  agent  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

11  John  Francis  Hamtramck  the  younger  (1798-1858),  who  had  resigned 
from  the  army  as  second  lieutenant,  and  later  was  a  colonel  in  the  Mexican  War. 


Captain  Nathaniel  Pry  or  261 

him  a  temporary  appointment  of  Sub  Agent.  His  influence  among  the 
Indians  generally,  in  that  quarter,  his  capacity  to  act  and  be  serviceable, 
added  to  his  knowledge  of  the  Osage  language,  would  it  is  believed 
justify  his  receiving  the  appointment  and  pay  of  Sub  Agent  and  In- 
terpreter, which  would  enable  him  to  perform  those  duties  which  Col. 
Arbuckle,i2  ^nd  the  Choctaw  and  Osage  Agents  have  suggested  in  their 
letters  which  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose.  Capt.  Pryor  served  with  me, 
on  an  expedition  to  the  Pacific  ocean  in  1803,  4,  5,  and  6  in  the  capacity 
of  1st  Sergeant;  after  which  he  served  as  an  officer  in  the  Army,  and 
was  disbanded  after  the  last  war.^^  When  out  of  Service,  he  has  pur- 
sued the  Indian  trade,  in  which  he  has  been  unfortunate,  first  by  the 
Winnebagoes,  who  took  every  article  he  had  and  for  which  he  has  a 
claim  before  Congress,  and  since  by  casual  occurrences  in  his  com- 
mercial pursuit  on  the  Arkansas. 

Capt.  Pryor's  long  and  faithful  services  and  his  being  disabled  by  a 
dislocation  of  his  shoulder  when  in  the  execution  of  his  duty  under  my 
command,  produces  an  interest  in  his  favor  and  much  solicitude  for 
bettering  his  situation  by  an  office  which  he  is  every  way  capable  of 
filling  with  credit  to  himself  and  usefulness  to  his  government. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

With  high  respect 

Your  most  obt.  servt. 
The  Hon.  Wm.  Clark 

James  Barbour, 
Secy,  of  War. 

X,    Sam  Houston  to  Secretary  Eaton. ^* 

Wigwam  Neosho^" 
Gen'l  Jno.  H.  Eaton^^  15th  Dec.  1830 

Sir, 
I  have  the  honor  to  address  you  on  the  subject  of  Capt.  N.  Pryor's 
claims  to  the  appointment  of  Sub  Agent  to  the  Osage  nation  of  Indians, 
which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  mentioning  to  you,  when  I  was  last  in  the 
City.  You  then  took  down  his  name,  as  an  applicant,  and  assured  me, 
tho  you  "  would  give  no  pledge,  yet  his  claim^  should  be  considered  of  ". 
Mr.  Carr,  who  has  recently  deceased  was  appointed,  and  Capt.  Pryor 
passed  by.  His  claims  I  have  taken  leave  to  state  to  the  President,  and 
do  most  earnestly  hope  that  they  may  be  met  by  the  well  deserved 
patronage  of  the  Government. 

12  Mathew  Arbuckle,  colonel  of  the  Seventh  Infantry. 

13  Nathaniel  Pryor  of  Kentucky,  ensign  First  Infantry,  February  27,  1807; 
second  lieutenant,  May  3,  1808;  resigned  April  i,  1810;  first  lieutenant  Forty- 
fourth  Infantry,  August  30,  1813  ;  captain  October  i,  1814;  honorably  discharged 
June  IS,  1815. 

14  Nos.  X.,  XL,  and  XII.  are  in  a  folder  marked  "  1830,  Osages  (sub-agency) 
Col.  Arbuckle,  Sam  Houston — Asks  appointment  for  N.  Pryor". 

15  Houston  went  to  the  Cherokee  country  in  1829.  In  1830  he  established 
himself  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Neosho,  a  short  distance  above  its  junction  with 
the  Arkansas,  and  nearly  opposite  Fort  Gibson.  Here,  in  a  wigwam,  arid  later  in 
a  log  cabin,  he  lived  until  December,  1832. 

16  Secretary  of  War. 


262  Documents 

It  is  impossible  for  me  ever  to  wish,  or  solicit,  any  patronage  from 
the  Government  for  myself,  or  any  one  connected  with  me,  but  when  I 
see  a  brave,  honest,  honorable  and  faithful  servant  of  that  country, 
which  I  once  claimed  as  my  own,  in  poverty  with  spirit  half  broken  by 
neglect,  I  must  be  permitted  to  ask  something  in  his  behalf! 

Could  any  just  man  know  him  as  I  do,  who  had  power  to  offer  repara- 
tion for  what  he  has  done  for  his  country,  what  he  has  suffered,  I  am 
sure  he  would  not  be  allowed  to  languish  in  circumstances  hardly 
comfortable. 

I  trust  in  God,  that  he  will  be  no  longer  neglected,  by  his  country. 

With  high  respect, 

I  am  your  mo  ob  sert 

Sam  Houston. 

XI.   Houston  to  President  Jackson. 

Wigwam  Neosho, 
To  Genl.  Jackson:  15  Dec.  1830 

Sir, 

I  have  the  honor  to  address  you  upon  the  subject  of  one  of  your 
old  soldiers  at  the  "Battle  of  Orleans."  I  allude  to  Capt.  Nathaniel 
Pryor,  who  has  for  several  years  past  resided  with  the  Osages  as  a 
sub  agent,  by  appointment  of  Gov.  Clark  but  without  any  permanent 
appointment  from  the  Government.  A  vacancy  has  lately  occurred  by 
the  decease  of  Mr.  Carr,  sub  agent  for  the  Osages;  and  I  do  most 
earnestly  solicit  the  appointment  for  him.  When  you  were  elected 
President  of  the  U.  States,  I  assured  you  that  I  would  not  annoy  you 
with  recommendations  in  favor  of  persons  who  might  wish  to  obtain 
office,  or  patronage  from  you.  But  as  I  regard  the  claims  of  Capt. 
Pryor  as  peculiar  and  paramount  to  those  of  any  man  within  my 
knowledge,  I  can  not  withhold  a  just  tribute  of  regard. 

He  was  the  first  man  who  volunteered  to  accompany  Lewis  and 
Clark  on  their  tour  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  He  was  then  in  the  Army 
some  four  or  five  years,  resigned,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  last 
war  entered  the  Army  again,  and  was  a  Captain  in  the  44th  Regt.,  under 
you,  at  New  Orleans;  and  a  braver  man  never  fought  under  the  wings 
of  your  Eagles.  He  has  done  more  to  tame  and  pacificate  the  disposi- 
tions of  the  Osages  to  the  whites,  and  surrounding  Tribes  of  Indians 
than  all  other  men,  and  has  done  more  in  promoting  the  authority  of  the 
U.  States  and  compelling  the  Osages  to  comply  with  demands  from 
Colonel  Arbuckle  than  any  person  could  have  supposed. 

Capt.  Pryor  is  a  man  of  amiable  character  and  disposition — of  fine 
sense  strict  honor — perfectly  temperate,  in  his  habits — and  unremitting 
in  his  attention  to  business. 

The  Secretary  of  War  assured  me  when  I  was  last  at  Washington, 
that  his  "claim  should  be  considered  of",  yet  another  was  appointed, 
and  he  was  passed  by.  He  is  poor,  having  been  twice  robbed  by  Indians 
of  Furs  and  merchandise,,  some  ten  years  since.  For  better  informa- 
tion, in  relation  to  Capt.  Pryor,  I  will  beg  leave  to  refer  you  to  Gen. 
Campbell,  Col.  Benton,  and  Gov.  Floyd  of  Va,  who  is  his  first  cousin.^'^ 

17  Pryor's  mother  was  a  sister  of  Col.  John  Floyd  (d.  1783)  and  of  Capt. 
Charles  Floyd.     The  first  Governor  Floyd  of  Virginia  was  a  son  of  the  former, 


Captain  Nathaniel  Pry  or  263 

With  every  wish  for  your  Glory  and  Happiness,  I  have  the  honor  to 
be  your  most  obt  servt 

Sam  Houston. 
[Endorsed:]  Refer [r]ed  to  the  Secretary  of  War 

A.  J. 

Xn.    CoL.  Mathew  Arbuckle  to  Eaton. 

Head  Qrs  7th  Inf'try 
Cantonment  Gibson^^ 

19th  Dec'r,  1830. 
To  the  Honbl.  John  H.  Eaton, 
Secretary  of  War. 

Sir, 
Capt.  Nathaniel  Pryor,  who  has  been  acting  as  sub-agent  to  the 
Osage  Nation  of  Indians  for  several  years,  was  not  a  little  disappointed, 
and  mortified,  when  Mr.  L.  Choteau  was  appointed  the  agent  to  that 
Tribe,^^  in  not  receiving  from  the  Government  the  appointment  of  sub- 
agent.     That  office  is  again  vacant,  and  he  is  anxious  of  receiving  it. 

In  relation  to  the  pretentions  of  Capt.  Pryor,  I  believe  I  am  justified 
in  saying  that  he  had  done  more  than  all  the  agents  employed  in  the 
Indian  Department  in  restoring  peace  between  the  Indians  on  this 
Frontier  particularly  in  restraining  Clermont's  Band  of  the  Osages^" 
from  depredating  on  the  neighboring  Tribes,  as  well  as  on  our  citizens, 
which  they  had  been  in  the  Habit  of  doing  for  a  number  of  years. 
Much  of  this  service  was  rendered  by  Captain  Pryor  before  he  was 
authorized  to  act  as  sub-agent  to  that  Band,  and  since  he  has  been 
acting  by  authority,  except  in  one  or  two  cases,  soon  after  his  appoint- 
ment, the  conduct  of  the  Osages  under  his  particular  charge  has  been 
as  good  as  that  of  any  Indians  in  this  country.  Yet  if  he  was  now 
removed  from  that  Band  I  would  not  be  surprised  if  they  should  com- 
mence their  former  Habits,  and  thereby  disturb  the  peace  of  this 
Frontier. 

The  high  standing  of  Capt  Pryor  for  Honesty  and  Worth  together 
with  the  service  he  has  rendered  to  the  public,  and  the  call  (as  I  judge) 
there  is  for  his  continuance,  I  hope  will  insure  to  him  the  appointment 
he  desires. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be.  Sir, 

With  Highest  Respect 
Yr  Obt  Servt 

M.  Arbuckle, 
Colo,  7th  Inf'try 

Sergeant  Charles  Floyd,  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition,  of  the  latter.  N.  J. 
Floyd,  Biographical  Genealogies  of  Virginia-Kentucky  Floyd  Families  (Baltimore, 
1912),  p.   16. 

18  Now  Fort  Gibson,  Oklahoma. 

19  Paul  Ligueste  Chouteau  (1792-1851),  son  of  Jean  Pierre  Chouteau  of  St. 
Louis,  and  younger  brother  of  Auguste  Pierre  Chouteau  who  was  a  companion 
of  Pryor  on  the  voyage  up  the  Missouri  on  the  occasion  of  the  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  return  the  Mandan  chief  to  his  home  in  1807. 

20  For  Clermont,  principal  chief  among  the  Osages,  see  Long,  Expedition, 
IL  237-248,  and  J.  B.  Wilkinson  in  Coues's  Pike,  pp.  557-558. 

AM.   HIST.   REV.,  VOL.  XXIV.  — 18. 


264  Documents 

XIII.    Paul  L.  Chouteau  to  Pryor.^i 

Osage  Agency,  4  Apr.  1831. 
To  Capt.  N.  Pryor, 
V.  S.  Sub  Agt. 
Sir. 

This  will  be  handed  you  by  Major  D.  D.  McNair,  Sub  Agent  for  the 
Osages,  who  visits  your  post  by  my  directions  in  order  to  obtain  in- 
formation relative  to  the  present  State  of  existing  difficulties  between 
Clermonts  Band  of  Osages  and  the  Cherokees,  and  to  make  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  contemplated  meeting  of  those  tribes  at  Can- 
tonment Gibson  on  the  ist  and  5th  May  next.  .  .  . 

Your  Obt.  Servt. 

Sign'd        P.  L.   Chouteau 
U.  S.  Ind'n  Agt  for  Osages 

XIV.  Pryor  to  Chouteau. 

Cant,  Gibson,  6th  Feb'y  1831 
Dr.  Sir 

I  have  been  confined  by  sickness  at  this  post  for  five  or  six  weeks 
and  am  not  yet  sufficiently  recovered  to  return  home,  until  the  weather 
moderates,  which  is  uncommonly  cold.  .  .  . 

I  am  Sir  respectfully 

N  Pryor 
Maj'r  P  L  Chouteau  Sub  Agt  for  Osages 

U.  S.  Agent  for  Osages 

XV.  Pryor  to  Chouteau. 

Union  Mission,22  Feb'y  19,  1831. 
To.  P.  L.  Chouteau 
U.  S.  Agt  for  Osages 
Dear  Sir 

When  I  last  wrote  you  I  expected  to  return  home  before  rhis  time. 
.  .  .  This  has  been  prevented  by  the  continuance  of  my  bad  health.  I 
am  now  some  what  recovered,  hope  soon  to  be  restored  to  good  health. 
I  am  sorry  for  the  delay  in  sending  the  accompanying  letters  to 
you.  ... 

Yours  with  respect 
Sign'd         N  Pryor 

U.  S.  Sub  Agent  for  Osages 

XVI. 

[In  a  tabular  statement  of  "  Superintendents,  Agents,  Sub  Agents,  and 
Interpreters"   (contained  in  a  folder  so  marked),  we  find  mention  of 

21  Nos.  XIII.,  XIV.,  and  XV.  are  in  a  folder  marked  "  183 1,  Osage  Agency — 
Wm.  Clark,  P.  L.  Chouteau- — Osage  and  Creek  Hostilities  ". 

22  Union  Mission  was  established  in  1821  by  the  United  Foreign  Mission  So- 
ciety as  its  first  station  among  the  Osages.  It  was  located  on  the  Neosho  River 
about  twenty-five  miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Arkansas.  Carey  and  Lea,  His- 
torical Atlas  (1822),  note,  map  no.  35.  Captain  Pryor  accompanied  in  1820  the 
missionary  who,  going  in  advance  to  explore,  selected  this  sitt.  [Sarah  Tuttle], 
Letters  on  the  Chickasaw  and  Osage  Missions  (Boston,  1831),  pp.  37,  45. 


Captain  Nathaniel  Pry  or  265 

Nathaniel  Pryor,  appointed  May  7,  1831,  stationed  at  Cantonment 
Gibson,  as  sub-agent  for  the  Osages  of  the  Verdigris,  and  attached  to 
the  Osage  agency  under  Chouteau;  pay  $500.] 

XVII. 

[On  May  10,  1831,  Captain  Pryor,  as  witness,  signed  a  treaty  between 
the  Creeks  and  all  bands  of  the  Osage  Nation,  at  Cantonment  Gibson.] 

XVIII.    Chouteau  to  Clark.^^ 

St.  Louis,  30th  June,  1831. 
Sir. 

A  few  days  since  I  informed  you  of  the  melancholy  death  of  Mr. 
D.  D,  McNair,2*  late  Sub  Agent  for  the  Osage  Nation.  Since  which  I 
have  been  informed  of  the  death  of  Captain  N.  Pryor,  another  Sub 
Agent  for  the  Osages,  which  leaves  the  Nation  without  a  Sub  Agent, 
and  as  the  business  of  the  agency  requires  a  Sub  Agent  to  be  appointed 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  it  being  my  wish  that  Captain  Thomas  Anthony 
should  receive  the  appointment,  having  heretofore  recommended  him 
to  your  notice,  and  that  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  .  .  . 
I  have  the  honor  to  remain 

Most   Respectfully 
Yr  obt  St. 

P.  L.  Chouteau, 
U.  S.  Ind.  Agt.  for  Osages. 
To  Genl.  Wm.  Clark, 
Supt.  Ind'n  Affs. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

23  This  document  is  in  a  folder  marked  "  1831,  Osages  (sub-agency) — Wm. 
Clark,  P.  L.  Chouteau — Conditions  ". 

2*D.  D.  McNair  "was  killed  by  lightning,  June  2,  1831,  while  riding  across 
the  prairie  in  the  night,  not  far  from  his  post".  Missouri  Republican  (St. 
Louis),  June  28,  183 1. 


